An NBC News team is safe in Tel Aviv after being attacked on camera by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
On Sunday’s episode of Today, foreign correspondent Matt Bradley revealed that his team is “recovering well” after they “all took hits” during an interview the day before with elderly Palestinian woman Aida Ahmed Abdullah, who was knocked unconscious in Saturday’s attack.
“I’m safe, I am recovering,” Bradley told Willie Geist. “I got hit twice on the arm. Actually, every member of my team, including a producer, the cameraman and one of the drivers we were with, they all took hits. But we’re all recovering well.”
While interviewing Abdullah, whose home has been occupied by Israeli settlers, a group of masked men in a car with Israeli license plates descended on them with sticks and stones, beating them. One of the attackers could be seen swinging a stick at the cameraman before the camera fell to the ground.
“They smashed our car windshield, hit our crew with clubs and beat Aida unconscious,” said Bradley. “We were able to get her to an ambulance, and our team was treated for minor injuries.”
We’ve been covering settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank for years. But yesterday, we found ourselves on the menu. A group of masked settlers beat our team and pummelled the 51 year old woman we were interviewing unconscious. We’re all ok now – and Aida is… pic.twitter.com/FFuLDnFnkF
Abdullah is also recovering after being released from the hospital, but her home is still occupied by settlers.
Citing the United Nations, Bradley noted that a recent surge of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has resulted in recent weeks, resulting in the killings of 76 Palestinians this year, including 18 children.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee have condemned the “Israeli terrorists,” while the country’s military and border police have opened an investigation into the attack.
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